Ancient monastery in Turkey faces destruction in anti-Christian lawsuit
July 12, 2012
The world’s oldest functioning Christian monastery faces a clouded future, after an appeals court in Turkey ruled that the building sits on land not owned by the monks.
The Mor Gabriel monastery, built near the Syrian border, was established in 397 by Syriac Orthodox monks, and has been in continuous use since that time, welcoming up to 20,000 pilgrims each year.
But neighboring villagers brought suit against the monks, charging that they were engaged in “anti-Turkish activities” since they educate young men in the Aramaic language and in the Christian faith. The villagers also claimed ownership of the land on which the monastery was constructed. The court sided with the villagers on that claim.
Syriac Orthodox officials are likely to appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that the monastery’s title to the property has been established by over 1,500 years of use.
An appeal might also highlight the lightly-veiled anti-Christian message of the villagers’ complaint. The lawsuit alleged that the Mor Gabriel monastery was built on a site previously used as a mosque, when in fact the monastery was built 170 years before the birth of Mohammed.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: samuel.doucette1787 -
Jul. 13, 2012 9:30 AM ET USA
Yet another reason why Turkey should not be considered among the civilized European orbit. This is creeping sharia and dhimmitude.
-
Posted by: scotty -
Jul. 12, 2012 5:23 PM ET USA
By God's grace, common sense will prevail among Turkish officials. The monastery was built prior to Islam and Mohammed's birth, and on a political note, how can they still hope to be inducted into the E.U. if they are unable to remove prejudice and hatred within their own country.
